The cast prepares to take a bow in the memory of the 16-year-old student who was slated to perform in the musical.

When he had Michelle Taylor in his acting class for the first time last fall, Matanzas High School drama teacher Richard Whelan remembers appearing surprised when the 16-year-old student told him she had never tried out for a dramatic production at the high school.

"To me, she was so talented," Whelan said in a recent interview with the Palm Coast Observer.

Taylor did go on to try out -- and receive -- a leading part in "Sweeney Todd," the MHS musical that will open to audiences Thursday, April 27. Sadly, the teen was tragically killed March 2 when she was struck by a car while walking on Lakeview Boulevard.

In her memory the 23-members of the cast of the musical which Taylor was so excited to have a part in have dedicated the show to the memory of the student, who was also very musical and an active member of the MHS Band.

"It's like we are still trying to fill the hole [of losing Michelle] when we're up on stage," said Kianna Longhway, a senior who is alternating the part of Mrs. Lovett with fellow MHS student Silvan Voege.

Performers in theater often become as tight-knit as a family when they begin to practice and rehearse performances together. But in this case, following the death of Taylor, students bound to each other even more tightly to get through the tragedy, according to senior Edward Bazzell, who plays the male lead in "Sweeney Todd."